OPTIMAL DESIGN OF FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT SECTIONS

ALTHOUGH SEVERAL METHODS ARE AVAILBLE FOR THE DESIGN OF FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS, NO EXISTING TECHNIQUE EXPLICITLY CONSIDERS THE OPTIMAL COMBINATION OF FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT COMPONENTS TO MINIMIZE THE TOTAL IN-PLACE COST OF THE PAVEMENT SYSTEM. THE PURPOSE OF THIS SYSTEMS ANALYSIS WAS TO DEVELOP A RATIONAL METHOD FOR THE OPTIMAL SELECTION OF THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE VARIOUS PAVEMENT COMPONENTS. THIS COST MINIMIZATION MUST BE REALIZED WITHIN THE BOUNDARY CONDITIONS IMPOSED BY THE PRACTICAL LIMITATIONS OF THE DESIGN PARAMETERS. THE DESIGN MODEL CONSISTS OF AN OBJECTIVE FUNCTION AND VARIOUS CONSTRAINT EQUATIONS. THE TOTAL COST OF THE PAVEMENT SYSTEM IS QUANTITATIVELY DESCRIBED BY THIS OBJECTIVE FUNCTION, AND A MINIMUM-COST SOLUTION IS OBTAINED FOR EACH COMBINATION OF MATERIAL COSTS AND DESIGN CONDITIONS. THE VARIOUS CONSTRAINING EQUATIONS QUANTIFY THE BOUNDARY CONDITIONS TO WHICH THE DESIGN OF A FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT IS SUBJECT. THESE PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS COMPLETE THE RELISM OF THE MATHEMATICAL MODEL IN DESCRIBING THE REAL-WORLD SITUATION OF FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT DESIGN. THE DESIGN MODEL WAS SOLVED BY A MODIFIED LINEAR PROGRAMMING TECHNIQUE. IN DEVELOPING PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS TO THE DESIGN MODEL, OPTIMAL FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS ARE DESIGNED FOR CROSS SECTIONS WITHOUT SUBBASE, CROSS SECTIONS WITH SUBBASE THROUGH SHOULDERS, AND CROSS SECTIONS WITH SUBBASE AND SUBDRAINS. THE DESIGN REQUIREMENTS FOR THE VARIOUS COMPONENNTS ARE PREDICTED ON THE DESIGN PARAMETERS OF TRAFFIC CONDITIONS, SOIL SUPPORT VALUES, PAVEMENT MATERIAL CHARACTERISTICS, ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS, AND PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS, AND ON UNIT COSTS OF PAVEMENT COMPONENTS. SUBSTANTIAL COST SAVINGS RESULT IN THE SELECTION OF FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT SECTIONS BY THIS DESIGN PROCEDURE. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrr/1970/337/337-009.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Paper sponsored by Committee on Highway Costs and Programming and presented at the 49th Annual Meeting. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Hejal, S S
  • Yoder, S R
  • Oppenlander, J C
• Publication Date: 1970

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 86-98
• Monograph Title: Theory of pavement design
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 337
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cross sections; Flexible pavements; Mathematical models; Pavement design; Road shoulders; Subbase (Pavements); Subdrains; Systems analysis
• Uncontrolled Terms: Subbase
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00205870
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jun 11 1971 12:00AM